Fountain pen



w km es e3 Jan. 25,1927. 1,615,758

v w. A. HARTLINE V FOUNTAIN PEN Filed Da e. 5, 1925 mull;

William A. Hartline, 3mm

this kind whereby the same may meet with.

Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

lillTED STATES WILLIAM A. HARTLINE, 0F MIDLAND, MICHIGAN;

FOUNTAIN PEN.

Application filed December 5, 1925. Serial No. 73,501.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in fountain pens, and the primary object of the invention is to generally simplify and improve devices of all of the requirements for a successful commercial use.

A specific object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen which is extremely simple and durable in construction as well as eliicient in operation.

Other objects are to provide a fountain pen which may be manufactured to sell at a nominal or very low cost, which is of such construction as to not readily get out of order, which may be taken apart, repaired and assembled without requiring the use of special skill or tools, and wherein simple and efficient means is provided for collapsing the ink reservoir or sack so that the latter may be readily filled with ink to full capacity with ease and facility. v Another object is to provide an improved means for collapsing the ink reservoir or sack and which strengthens, rather than weakens, the pen construction, while at the same time being capable of operation to completely collapse the sack substantially from end to end and for allowing it to completely expand for completely hlling with ink.

lit is particularly noted that with fountain pens now in most common use, the sack compressing means does not uniformly and completely collapse the sack and the alter is, therefore, only partially filled with ink under ordinary conditions of use so that refilling is necessary at quite frequent intervals. In addition to the above, the sack compressing means now most widely em ployed embody operating levers associated with slots in the sides of the pen barrels which weaken the latter and present a frail construction.

The present invention provides a construction for overcoming the above defects.

Other objects Will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, and the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accon'ipanying drawing and claimed.

In the drawing, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a substantially central longitudinal sectional view of a fountain pen constructed in accordance with the present invention 5 Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section taken upon line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1;

Figure at is a view similar to Figure 2 taken upon line 4% of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is an enlarged end elevational the barrel although permitting manual removal thereof without turning the same. The combined pen and feed section 6 has the open end of an ordinary elongated colla 3Slbl6 ink reservoir or sack 7 suitably at tached to the inner or reduced end thereof A so that when the pen and feed section is associated with the barrel, the sack ext-ends substantially from end to end of the latter as shown in Figure 1. The section 6 can ries the usual pen point 8 at its outer end, and the same has a conventional form of passage therethrough, not shown, whereby the ink may flow to the pen point 8' fromthe reservoir as is well known in the art. It is thus apparent that by pulling the sections 5 and 6 apart, the section 6 may be de tached from the section 5 and the sack 7 drawn out of the barrel therewith in case renewal of the sack is necessary.

The inner end of the barrel 5 is preferably closed by means of a stopper or plug 9 which is preferably of smooth cylindrical form so as to snugly fit in the end of the barrel and be capable of removal therefrom without turning. This stopper or plug preferably has an annular enlargement or head 10 upon its outer end arranged to abut the end edge of the barrel so as to present a smooth and neat appearance. It is noted that the reduced end of the pen and feed section 5 and the plug 9 are of similar diameter, and the bore of the barrel 5 is uniform throughout so as to present a most inexpensive construction.

The sack compressing means embodies a crank shaft preferably formed of a single piece of relatively still wire and having 1ongitudinally aligned short end portions 11 and 12 which are journaled in grooves provided longitudinally of and in the sides of the reduced end portion of the pen and feed section 6 and the plug 9. The crank shaft is thus journaled within the barrel 5 adjacent one side of the latter so that the crank shaft extends longitudinally of the barrel. and said crank shaft further embodies a relatively long intermediate crank portion 13 which is disposed beside the sack 7 and extends substantially from end to end of the latter. The crank portion 18 is disposed to engage the sack 7 at a point substantially midway between the side thereof at which the ends 11 and 12 are journaled and the directly opposite side of the same so that a most effective collapsing of the sack is obtained, and as shown clearly in Figure 3 the barrel 5 is of sufficiently greater diameter than the sack so as to permit the crank portion of the crank shaft to be disposed in an inoperative position for permitting complete expansion of the sack to normal cylindrical form. In view of this construction and the fact that the crank portion 13 extends substantially the full length of the sack, it apparent that the sack may be sub stantially completely collapsed from one end to the other so that when the same is reeased ink will be drawn into the same until it becomes substantially completely filled. The crank shaft is provided with Suitable means for rocking the same so as to compress the sack and then allow the same to expand, and this means preferably embodies a lever 1 L rigid with and projecting laterally from the end portion 12 of the crank shaft and disposed adjacent the outer end of the plug 9 for swinging across the outer end surface of the latter. The lever 14 preferably consists of an end portion of the wire forming the crank shaft bent at right angles thereto and having an enlarged free end portion preferably in the nature of a ball as at 15 adapted to seat in a recess or hemispherical socket 15 provided in the outer end of the plug 9 for maintaining the crank shaft positioned with its crank in released position as shown in Figure The lever 14 is preferably resilient so as to cause the ball 15 to spring into the socket or recess 16 whereby the crank shaft will be prevented from accidentally swinging to compress the sack 7 although permitting manual swinging there of when desired.

It is apparent that the crank shaft will be removed from the barrel with the plug 9 when the latter is removed, and that said crank shaft may be readily disengaged from the plug 9 upon their removal from the barrel. This construction may be readily assembled or taken apart and embodies parts of a simple and durable nature.

By swinging the lever 14 in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 8, the crank shaft is swung in a corresponding direction to completely collapse the sack 7, and with the pen 8 completely submerged in ink, the latter will be drawn into the sack 7 so as to completely fill the same when said sack is allowed to return to normal expanded condition as shown in Figure 3 by swinging the crank shaft to the position shown in the latter figure when the lever 14 is swung in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure 5 until the ball 15 engages the socket or recess 16.

It is believed that the construction and operation as well as the advantages of the present invention will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art, from the foregoing description.

vVhat I claim as new is 1. In a self filling fountain pen, the combination with a barrel having a collapsible ink reservoir therein, of a crank shaft for compressing the reservoir pivoted in the bar rel at both ends, and means associated with one end of the crank shaft for facilitating manual rocking thereof, said last named means embodying a lever rigid with and projecting laterally from one end of the crank shaft and disposed externally of the barrel adjacent the inner end of the latter, a plug closing the inner end of the barrel and having a socket in the outer end face thereof, and an enlargement upon the free end of said lever adapted to seat in said socket to releasably maintain the crank shaft in released position wherein the reservoir is permitted to expand.

2. The combination of a pen section, a collapsible sack or reservoir atta hed there to, a barrel adapted to contain the reservoir, a crank shaft extending longitudinally between the barrel and the reservoir and journaled at each end thereof, and a lever rigid. with and projecting laterally from the end portion of the crank shaft at the inner end of the barrel, and a plug fitting in and closing the inner end of the barrel, and having a socket in the outer face thereof, said pen section and said plug having longitudinally aligned grooves in which the ends of the crank shaft are journaled. and an enlargement upon the outer end of the lever adapted to seat in said socket for maintaining the crank shaft in sack releasing position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM a. HARTLINE. 

